Machine for stropping razors.



{UNITED STATES PATEN or rron CHARLES JEREMIAS, or rrmivron'r, oriro, ASSIGNOR, Br MESNEASSIGNMENTS', r THE 1 NEVER FAIL COMPANY, or TOLEDO,, onro, A conrormrrron or 0HIO.

MACHIN rorv s rnorrine RAzoRs.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.17,1912.

Application filed October 21, 1910. Serial No. 588,259..

To all whom it mag concern: j I I Be it known that I, GHARLEsJ REMIAs, a

a citizen of the United States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Sandusky, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Stroppmg Razors and I do declare the following to be' a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which itappertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which'form a part of this specification. y

This invention relates to machines for stropping razors, and consists in the construc'tion and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully set forth and-pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient device for aut0mati- A. cally stropping razor blades, wherein the arrangement is such as to enable the blades of ordinary razors, and thecthin blades of safety razors to be stropped with equal facility, provision being made for swinging the edge of the blade into proper contact with the surface of the strop .as the strop is drawn longitudinally through the machine in the operation of stropping.

The above object is attained'by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which i Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a razorstroppmg machine embodying my lnvention, showing the blade of an ordlnary razor held therein. Fig. 2 is a central horizontal section through Fig. 1. Fig. 3-is a fragmentary view in perspective of details of the mechanism employed for swinging the bladeholder upon its pivotas the strop is drawn longitudinally through themachine. Fig. 4c

is a fragmentary view't-hrough one end of the machine as on line 4.-4c ofFig. 1. Fig. 5

is a longitudinal sectionalview throughthe main blade-holder; -Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an auxiliary holderinser'tible in the main holder and adaptedjto hold the thin blades of safety razors while being stropped.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view, show- ,ing the, position of parts when the strop is being drawn in onedirection through the machine. Fig. 8--is a similar view, showing having openings 2 in its end portions through which razors or razor blades may be "in- 'serted into and withdrawn fromthe blade holder. Connecting the ends of the frame at the front are rods 3 on which are mounted rotatable sleeves 4:- Also connecting :the ends of the frame between the rods 3 are the .smallerrods 5 which are also embracedby Spaced inwardly torotatable. sleeves 6; ward the back of the frame from the rods 3 and connecting the end portions of the frame are the rods 7 which are disposed in substantially parallel alinement with the rods 3 and are embraced by rotatable sleeves .8. Lo-

catedwithin the main frameat theyrear thereof: is an oscillatory framecomprising theend cross bars 9 connected by the three parallel rods" 10, 11 and 12, respectively.

The central rod lOis secured at its'endsin I the endiportions of themain frame and serves as a pivot on which the oscillatory frame swings." Embracing the rods 10, 11

and 12 are the rotatable sleeves13, 14 and i 15, respectively, which serve as antifriction rollers over which the strop 16 is adapted to pass as it is drawn longitudinally through the machine in the operation of stropping.

The main blade-holder comprises the op-- posed spring jaws 17 projecting from the backpiece 18, the ends of said back piece beingbent at right angles thereto to project rearwardly, as shown at 19, the terminals of said end portions being provided with the projecting lugs 20. Secured at its ends in the ends of the main frame and passing 1 through the end portions 19 of the main blade holder is therod 21, said rod serving 1 as a pivotal support for the blade-holder upon which it is adapted'to swingfrom side to side. Projecting from each ofthe cross bars 9 is an arm 22 whose free end engages loosely between the lugs 20 on the end por- I tions 19 of the main blade-holder in a manner to swing said holder upon its pivot rod 21, when the oscillatory frame, of which the cross bars are a part, is actuated in the operation of stropping.

The strop 16 is placed in operative position in the machine by passing it over the rotatable sleeves 13 and 15 on the rods 11 and 12, and under the rotatable sleeve 14 on the central rod 10 of the oscillatory frame, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 7 and S, the end portions of the strop passing within the frame in contact with the rotatable sleeves 4: and 8-upon the rods 3 and 7, respectively, the rods 5 carrying the small rotatable sleeves 6 lying between the end portions of the strop at the point where they pass from the frame. The length of the cross bars 9 of the oscillatory frame carrying the rotatable sleeves 13 and 14: over which the strop passes, aifords considerable leverage when the end portions of the strop are successively drawn upon to swing said frame upon its central pivot rod 10, the po sition of the rods 7 carrying the rotatable sleeves 8, being such as to bring the parallel end portions of the strop closer together in a manner to cause the razor blade 23 to swing properly into contact with the face thereof when the machine is actuated, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, while the leverage exerted by the draft necessary to draw the strop through the machine is such as to urge the blade forcibly against the strop from side to side and hold the edge of the blade in contact therewith, under suflicient stress to effect the necessary abrasive action.

To hold the blade-holder centrally in place between the sides of the strop and prevent the edge of the blade accidentally coming in contact therewith, there is employed a heart-shaped spring 24 which is secured at the loop thereof under a binding plate 25 on the end of the main frame, as shown in Fig. 1. The terminals of said spring are provided with right angle portions 26 which pass through slots 27 in the ends of the frame and lie in contact with. the opposite edges of the end portion 19 of the blade holder, a position clearly illustrated in Fig.

3. As the blade-holder is swung through the movement of the oscillatory frame, the end portions of the heart-shaped spring will yield as the part 19 of the blade-holder is swung into engagement therewith, the resiliency of the spring, however, returning said parts to the position shown in Fig. 2, when the operating stress or draft upon the razor strop is relieved. As the spring terminals are moved through the movement of the swinging end portion 19 of the blade holder, they travelin the inclined slots in the ends of the main frame. On referring to Fig. 5, it :will be noted that a bowed spring 28 is located in the blade-holder between the jaws 17, the purpose of which is to urge the blade 23 outwardly when inserted endwise between said jaws and securely clamp it therebetween. The free terminal of the spring 28 is bent at right angles, as shown at 29, and serves to close the opening between the aws of the bladeholder, thereby making it impossible to insert a blade in the holder except at the right end thereof.

When it is desired to strop a thin blade, such as is commonly used in safety razors, an auxiliary holder 30 is employed, as shown in Fig. 6 adapted to receive and hold a thin blade 31. The auxiliary holder with the blade therein is insertible endwise into the r main holder, thereby making possible the stroppmg of a thin blade for a safety razor as well as the blade of an ordinary razor.

The ends of the strop are provided with,

rings 32 adapted to be grasped by the hands of the operator, and enabling the strop to be drawn longitudinally through the machine in opposite directions in reciprocal succession.

It will be noted that the arrangement of the operative mechanism is such that the edge of the blade will be carried into engagement with the surface of the strop which is moving away from said edge, thereby producing the desired wiping effect thereon, and preventing the possibility of the strop being out. As the direction of the course of the strop is changed by alternately drawing upon the ends thereof, the blade will be alternately swung, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, to carry its edge into engagement therewith. By passing the strop under the central rotary sleeve 14 and over the outer sleeves 13 and 15, sufiicient tension is placed upon the strop as it is drawn longitudinally through said rollers to insure rocking or oscillating of the oscillatory frame and the consequent swinging of the blade-holder to the limit of its lateral movement in each direction in advance of the longitudinal drawing of the strop through the machine; the initial movement causing the bladeholder to swing, and the succeeding movement resulting in the running of the strop between the rollers of the oscillatory frame and through the opening at the front of the frame in contact with the rotatable sleeves 4 and 8, which cause the end portions of the strop to travel in substantially parallel lines after passing the sleeves 8, so that that portion of the strop with which the edge of the blade comes in contact is always correctly positioned to produce upon the blade the desired abrasive action.

A swiveled ring 33 is attached to the back of the frame for the purpose of fastening the stropping device to some permanent object during the operation of stropping.

Having thus fully set forth my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A razor blade sharpening device comprising a casing, a frame pivotally mounted in the casing, a blade holder pivotally mounted in said casing, engaging members effecting a jointed connection between said frame and blade holder, a strop mounted over said frame to swing the latter 'on its pivot, guide rollers for said strop, said casing having spaced openings, a spring secured to the outer side of the casing having its ends bent and projected inwardly through said openings to provide tension members on the inner side of the casing which are engageable by one of said engaging members between the pivoted frame and blade holder to return the blade holder to the central position aftera movement thereofby the swinging frame, the cross-sectional diameter of saidyopeningsbeing larger than the cross-sectional diameter of'said spring so as to permit limited lateral movement of the inwardly projecting ends of the spring in said openings.

2. In a stropping machine, a rigid main frame, a blade holder pivotally mounted therein and having a rearwardly projecting end portion, an oscillatory frame pivotally mounted in the main frame, said oscillatory frame comprising end cross bars and longitudinal shafts extending between and connecting said cross bars, an arm extending from a cross bar of the oscillatory frame and actuatably engaging the rearwardly extendmain frame, a blade holder pivotally mounted therein having a rearwardly projecting end portion, an engageable member on said end portion, 'an oscillatory frame pivotally mounted in the main frame, an arm projecta ing radially from the axis of the oscillatory frame and cooperating with the engageable member on the projection of the blade a holder to transmit movement tofsaid holder from said oscillatory frame, a looped spring rigidly mounted on the main frame, said of the extension of the blade holder tonormally retain said holder centrally of, the

main frame.

spring having bent terminal portions which 7 pass through openings in the main frame andengage with tension the opposite edges In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two-witnesses:

7 CHARLES JEREMIAS.

Witnesses:

E. MEHEN, H. GRoB.

Copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. I j 

